Portrait Photography How To

Sometimes the simplest tricks are the best ones. In the below video, photographer Peter McKinnon shares just that: an easy but effective photo hack he says anyone can do.

Backlit portraits are tricky to pull off. Do them improperly, and you'll have a flat silhouette lacking in detail and impact. Do them, right though, and they can look pretty spectacular.

We like it when photographers have fun with their gear and try out new things, especially when it relates to the creative use of lenses. In the below video, the gang on Mango Street break out a 400mm Canon lens for a portrait shoot.

As photographers, we're always trying to make our subjects look better in portrait photos. But did you know there are quite a few tricks you can use to make people in photos look amazing?

Most photographers know that “Golden Hour”—the time right after sunrise or just before sunset—can be the best time to shoot. And that often holds true when photographing landscapes, portraits, and just about anything else. Despite the beautiful soft reddish light at prime time, a quick edit in Lightroom can often turn a good image into a great one.

Formal portraits and other people pictures are typically most compelling when precise focus is attained on a subject’s eyes, but that’s not always easy to accomplish depending upon your camera settings. Even if you switch from multi- to single-point focus, there’s often a better way to get the job done.

Not all photographers can afford fancy "hair and makeup" people to make sure their models are free of blemishes for the next photo shoot. And, even if you have the best makeup person on the planet, sometimes blemishes shine through in portraits. (It's amazing what high-resolution digital cameras can capture in an image these days; sometimes a lot of unwanted stuff, when it comes to portraits.)